The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss – Intermittent fasting has now become one of the best ways to improve your health and lose fat. All you need to do is abstain from high-calorie foods and drinks for a certain period depending on your tolerance and what your schedule allows.
However, there are different methods of fasting, and they all have similar benefits. This article will introduce you to the science and benefits of intermittent fasting. We will also discuss safety issues and tips to keep in mind.
The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting is a practice in which a person follows a schedule that alternates between fasting and eating. A typical fasting protocol lasts from 12 to 24 hours. Popular examples include fasting for 16 hours and resuming eating and snacking for the remaining 8 hours.
Benefits Of Fasting, Plus Types, How To Fast, Side Effects
Please note that intermittent fasting is not technically a diet, but rather an eating pattern that has been practiced throughout human history.
For example, hunter-gatherers ate at irregular intervals depending on the availability of food. These people rarely, if ever, suffered from obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (*).
The Greek physician Hippocrates recommended fasting in the 5th century BC. for patients with certain symptoms of the disease. In the words of Hippocrates, “to eat when you are sick is to nourish your illness.”
This shows how intermittent fasting leads to improved health, especially when done correctly. Unlike what many people think, intermittent fasting is not fasting, which is an involuntary action.
Day Keto Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan & Easy Recipes
Rather, it follows a specific pattern, and those who fast have complete control over when to start and stop the fast. It all depends on your experience level, tolerance and other factors.
By avoiding foods and drinks containing calories for a certain period of time, blood sugar levels drop and this causes the body to burn glycogen stores (a form of glucose stored in the liver and muscles). As your fasting hours increase, you will eventually enter the metabolic state of ketosis. This is when your body uses fat to produce compounds called ketones – an alternative source of energy where glucose is not available (*).
For those on a keto diet, intermittent fasting is sometimes used as a strategy to re-enter ketosis after a few days of increasing carbohydrate intake. This could be a cheat day, the holidays, or the remaining 1-2 days of the cyclical keto diet.
Meanwhile, people who are interested in trying the keto diet can use fasting for the first time as one way to achieve ketosis.
Health Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
For others, intermittent fasting is part of their lifestyle (regardless of the diet they are on) with the goal of losing weight without counting calories to allow the digestive system to rest and get through an extremely stressful day at work.
Anyone can fast, especially if they don’t feel hungry. Just keep in mind that if you have a medical condition or are underweight, you will need to consult a doctor.
Short fasts are the best place to start if you’ve never tried intermittent fasting before. Once you get used to fasting, you can try increasing the length of your fast or doing several shorter fasts per week. Select your intermittent fasting plan below:
Before learning how to do intermittent fasting, it is important to understand its benefits. Fasting for weight loss is a common reason for fasting, but what about the rest? Here are some of them.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work? A Science Based Answer
Intermittent fasting studies have been conducted in both animals and humans. If you’re looking for more science-based reasons to incorporate fasting into your lifestyle—whether you have a medical condition or not—here’s what the study says:
When it comes to your gut microbiota (or gut microbiome), intermittent fasting may increase the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, an oval-shaped bacterium that has the following benefits (*,*):
Did you know that intermittent fasting can also help prevent and fight cancer? According to a clinical study conducted on 101 patients with various types of cancer (breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, etc.), fasting caused their immune system to “recognize cancer as something it should attack.” (*, *)
It may be a good idea to include intermittent fasting in addition to chemotherapy to slow the progression of cancer. Additionally, fasting deprives cancer cells of glucose, while ketone bodies produced during ketosis nourish normal cells (*).
Life In The Fasting Lane: How To Make Intermittent Fasting A Lifestyle And Reap The Benefits Of Weight Loss And Better Health: Jason Fung, Eve Mayer, Megan Ramos: 9781094114149: Amazon.com: Books
Another reason to use fasting is to reverse type 2 diabetes. As you probably know, type 2 diabetes increases the risk of complications and comorbidities, such as (*):
A study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that a three-month intermittent fasting plan resulted in diabetes remission (meaning blood glucose levels are normal and no need for diabetes medications) for at least 1 year (*).
Although intermittent fasting is generally safe and natural, some people need to talk to their doctor before trying it. This is important if you have or have:
On the downside, longer periods of fasting (or depending on the person) can cause symptoms similar to the keto flu. These include headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue.
The Intermittent Fasting Guide For Optimal Health
People who are metabolically inflexible (meaning they are not used to burning ketones for fuel instead of glucose) are more likely to experience the negative symptoms of intermittent fasting.
You can help your body adjust by doing it more often (along with properly planned meals), staying physically active every day, and following the keto diet.
The first and most important tip is to start slow. For example, you can start with a 12-hour fast and then increase it to 16 hours after a few weeks of getting used to it. You can also start by skipping one meal, such as breakfast, or try delaying breakfast for a few hours. So, if you usually eat around 7 or 8 am, move the time to 10 or 11 am.
While fasting, make sure you stay hydrated. If you prefer, drink sparkling water or add a few slices of lemon to the water pitcher for flavor. Zero carb, zero calorie electrolyte powders also help maintain hydration and prevent electrolyte imbalances.
Is Intermittent Fasting Right For You?
You may be wondering if you can exercise while fasting. In fact, there is no reason to stop exercising on fasting days. Weight lifting, cardio, and HIIT are okay as long as you feel comfortable doing them. Some people choose to do more intense workouts after eating before fasting so that they have enough energy to continue exercising.
Remember that successful fasting also starts with eating healthy foods before fasting. Replenish your diet with healthy fats from avocados, oily fish and nuts. Make sure you also have quality animal or plant protein such as eggs, beef, pork, chicken, tofu, mushrooms and lupini beans.
Plain water, sparkling water and other no-calorie drinks such as black coffee, tea and zero-calorie electrolyte powders are allowed. These options will not allow you to break your fast. In particular, water and electrolytes help you avoid dehydration. They fill you up too!
Supplements are fine as long as they don’t contain calories or sugar. Just keep in mind that some supplements, such as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, work better with food.
Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting Apart From Weight Loss
Yes. There is no reason not to exercise during intermittent fasting unless you feel very tired or decide to start exercising after you stop fasting.
You can fast intermittently from 12 to 36 hours. We recommend starting with a 12-hour fast or skipping a meal and then increasing to a 16-hour fast.
From increasing fat loss to reversing type 2 diabetes, breaking up your usual eating patterns can have a positive impact on your overall health. Do it as part of a healthy lifestyle or use it in conjunction with a keto diet, as each can enhance the benefits of the other.
Unlike fasting, intermittent fasting allows you to have complete control over how long you fast and when you end your fast, which you can do when it’s too inconvenient to continue fasting!
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Remember, just because you are fasting does not mean you can overindulge in unhealthy foods during your fasting period.
Holstein T, et al. Effects of short-term fasting on the ghrelin/GH/IGF-1 axis in healthy individuals: the role of ghrelin in the lean phenotype. 2022 August 18
Luo Y et al. Rational consideration of the effects of Akkermansia muciniphila on intestinal health: benefits and challenges. 2022 October 17
Vernieri S et al. Fasting mimicking diet is safe and modifies metabolism and antitumor immunity in cancer patients. 2022 January 1
Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss Is As Effective As Counting Calories
Yang X et al. Effect of intermittent calorie restriction dieting on remission of type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. 2022, December 14. Intermittent fasting is a popular health and fitness trend that has been followed by many people around the world for centuries. Although the current era is hardly associated with healthy eating habits, fasting has become more therapeutic than the usual activities practiced by ordinary people. So, to make sure that this ancient tradition is not lost in human oblivion, let’s discuss the benefits of intermittent fasting for the brain and body.
Simply put, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern with set cycles between periods of eating and fasting. There are several methods of intermittent fasting, which can last from one day to a week. Bye
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